Modern Desert Architecture Through The Eyes of Kids

By MADS on February 11, 2016 / Comments Off on Modern Desert Architecture Through The Eyes of Kids

Photo Credit: Chibi Moku

Critics of modern design and architecture often sing the same old refrain: it’s cold, sterile, and uninviting. We here at Modern Home Tours are all about combating this misconception, and here’s our latest attempt: take a look at these two kids basking in the glow of their modern desert home.

In a short film narrated by two children aged 3 and 5, story-telling duo Chibi Moku seeks to dispel the notion that modern architecture is “only for childless, avant-garde art collectors who wear black turtleneck sweaters even in summer.” Through the eyes of its adorable young hosts, the documentary takes viewers on a tour of Desert Wash – a site-sensitive modern home in Paradise Valley, Arizona.

Designed by Kendle Design Collaborative, Desert Wash turns an unwelcome obstacle for traditional residential design – a desert wash that periodically floods throughout the year – into a focal feature of natural beauty that delights and inspires a young, energetic family. The film will take you on a romp through the desert as its precious hosts introduce you to creatures such as the elusive Desert Tiger and Roadrunner while showing you how rammed earth walls, expansive glass, floating steel, and wood-clad roofs shelter a family in modern beauty and provide the perfect backdrop for their extensive collection of art and Asian artifacts.

This film was produced and shared by husband and wife team Joshua and Natsuko Shaffer, aka Chibi Moku, two architectural documentarians who live off the grid and travel all over the world capturing content for international builders, architects, interior designers, and architectural preservation organizations. Check out the video below (and be sure to take a look at their other work here!)